A group of 100 illegal migrants and three migrant-runners were rescued from a semi-capsized sailboat south of the island of Lefkada late Monday by Greek coast guard vessels and nearby fishing boats.

The distressed sailboat was spotted by a nearby tanker on Monday evening and the Marine Affairs and Islands ministry's operations center was immediately alerted.

The vessel was found just off of Lefkada semi-capsized and taking on water.

The migrants were taken to the island's medical center for precautionary reasons, where they were given food and water.The three migrant-smugglers were taken into c

The 98 illegal migrants rescued from a sinking vessel off the coast of Lefkada, including 11 women and 39 children, were being temporarily housed in the Lefkada municipality youth centre on Tuesday.

The island's coast guard mounted a rescue operation after receiving a call from someone claiming to be on board the vessel and it was eventually found 20 nautical miles to the west of Lefkada, half sunken and taking on water. The migrants on board were from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Greek authorities also found three migrant traffickers on board the vessel, who are being held in custody by the Lefkada coast guard.After the call on Monday, the Marine Affairs and Islands ministry's operations center was immediately alerted and a rescue operation mounted that included seven coast guard vessels and nearby ships. The sinking vessel was finally spotted by a tanker and the migrants collected by two fishing boats.

Seven have been taken to Lefkada hospital as a precaution and they have all been issued food and clothing.